An unusual opening variation, an interesting balance of material at hand, and sketchy move or two, are all featured in the following Jerome Gambit game.
ryuugu-rena - passage22
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 f6
Here is another way to avoid the Jerome Gambit: transition to a variation of the Damiano's Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6.
The Database has 24 games with this position, with White scoring 67%. More than half of those games - 14 - were played by me, scoring 79%.
4.Bf7+
Anyway!
4...Kxf7 5.d4 Nxd4
Or 5...Be7 6.dxe5 fxe5 7.O-O Nf6 8.Nxe5+ Nxe5 9.f4 Nc6 10.e5 Ne4 11.Qd5+ Ke8 12.Qxe4 Rf8 13.Qxh7 d6 14.Qg6+ Kd7 15.e6 checkmate, jdpz - Semper_Fideliz, lichess.org, 2022.
6.Nxd4 exd4 7.Qxd4
White has some work to do to take advantage of Black's King's placement.
7...Ke8 8.O-O b6 9.Nc3 Ba6 10.Re1 Bc5 11.Qd5 c6 12.Qb3
An active White Queen is one of the hallmarks of the Jerome Gambit.
12...Qe7 13.Bf4 Bd6
Black has hemmed in two enemy pieces and now wishes to deal with the Bishop.
14.e5
To open the e-file.
14...fxe5
15.Nd5
This move is puzzling. Is it a mouse slip? A time error?
15...Qe6
Again.
Simply 15...cxd5 would keep his advantage.
16.Bxe5 Bxe5 17.Nc7+ Bxc7 18.Rxe6+ dxe6 19.Qxe6+
Black has two Bishops, a Knight, and a Rook for his Queen. That is plenty.
Still, the computer indicates that White's Queen is active enough - and Black's King is vunerable enough - that the game is even.
19...Kd8
What a difference a square makes.
The computer shows that White's Queen keeps things balanced against 19...Kf8, i.e. 20.Qxc6 Rc8 21.Qf3+ Nf6 22.Qa3+ Kf7 23.Qxa6 Bb8 24.c3 Rhe8 25.g3 Rc7 26.a4 g6 27.a5 Re6 28.Kg2 h5 29.axb6 axb6 30.Qb5 Rc5 31.Qb3 Bc7 32.Ra8 Rce5 33.Qc4 Rc5
The text move allows White to checkmate.
20.Rd1+ Bd6 21.Qxd6+ Kc8 22.Qxc6+ Kb8 23.Rd8+ Bc8 24.Qxc8 checkmate
Black's Rooks and a Knight never left home.
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